We Found Love In A Hopeless Place
by Ghostwriter
Summary: When Emma and Henry return to Storybrooke, they find themselves facing a new foe as they search for Neal and Rumplestiltskin and Emma's reunited with someone from her past who surprisingly shares a past with Neal as well.
1. Going For Help

WE FOUND LOVE IN A HOPELESS PLACE

AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER

My take on the second part of Season of Once Upon A Time and starts right after Rumplestiltskin sacrificed himself to kill Pan in "Going Home". Belongs to ABC Studios and whoever else owns the show. And yes, the bulk of this first chapter is the same as my story "Paying The Price". I was actually writing this story when I got the idea for that one so I just went with it. The first chapter starts out the same as the end of that episode but will have twists and turns in later chapters. This will be Emma/Neal, but I'm not going to ignore the Emma/Hook friendship.

As soon as the spell lifted, Belle dropped to her knees sobbing, and Snow immediately went to her, pulling her close.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, smoothing back her hair and the woman leaned into her. "No! Rumple…he's gone." _I can't believe it. He's gone. He sacrificed himself for us. He had his happy ending and he gave it up for us_ , she thought. As she continued to cry, Neal let out a shaky breath and started walking away from the group. As one Emma and Hook walked up to him.

"Oh damn," Neal whispered. _He's gone. And we were starting to get to a good place. I screwed up. I missed my chance_ , he thought to himself.

"Baelfire. I'm so sorry. I know the Crocodile and I were never on the best of terms, but I-"

"It's fine," Neal interrupted, his voice thick with emotion. Emma pulled him towards her, and though he struggled at the hold for a moment, he eventually leaned into her as the tears started to fall.

"Neal," Emma whispered. _I don't know what to do. How do I help him?_ she wondered.

"My father did what he had to do. He saved us," he said. _I can live with that. I have to_ , he thought to himself. Killian watched the two, his eyes clouding. _She comforts him in a way no one else can. They belong together_ , he realized.

"IT'S HERE! IT'S HERE!" At the frantic shouting, Snow helped Belle to her feet and they all turned to see Leroy and Tinkerbell running up to them.

"The Curse! It's here!" Tinkerbell reported.

"It's coming from all sides!" Leroy added.

"Can we stop it?" David queried.

" **I** can," Regina asked. "I can destroy it. But it'll destroy the town. The Curse created Storybrooke and once the town's destroyed, it'll be gone. We'll be in the Enchanted Forest again."

"Even Henry?" Emma asked and the other woman shook her head.

"No he was born here, so he'd still be here."

"Alone?" _Not acceptable_ , the Savior thought to herself. She couldn't believe that the formerly Evil Queen would even consider it. It didn't add up. There had to be a catch.

"No, that's my price. I have to give him up. But you'll stay with him."

"I don't want to leave you. I love you," Henry stated. _I can't leave her. I_ _ **won't**_ , he thought.

"I love hearing you say that. But you heard Rumplestiltskin: villains don't get happy endings," Regina replied.

"You're not a villain. You're my mom." At this, Regina smiled. _I love that our relationship's better_ , she thought to herself. She started to say something when Ruby ran up to them.

"It's getting closer!" she reported. _We're running out of time_ , Regina realized.

"You have to go… **now** ," she stated.

"You're going to have to take our memories aren't you?" he realized.

"Yes, I'll but I'll give you both new memories. One where Emma kept you and you both grew up together," she answered.

"You'd do that?" the blonde asked.

"Yes," came the response. "But I'll have to act fast." Emma nodded and then turned to her ex.

"Come with us," she encouraged.

"I really wish I could, but this isn't my world. Besides, Belle needs me. Now go. Get our boy the hell out of here." At this, she nodded and hugged him tightly.

"I love you."

"I love you." She then turned Killian.

"Hook…take care of yourself."

"And you too, Love." With that, they went to Regina.

"Hey," Neal said, causing Henry and Emma to turn. "This isn't over. I'll see you both again," he promised and they nodded. Then, they got into the yellow bug and started driving off. As they did so, Regina waved her hand in their direction and mouthed a spell, implanting both of their minds with memories of Emma raising Henry from the very beginning, cooking him meals, soothing his hurts…all the things she had done. But now it would be as if Emma had done it. As she watched the car disappear, Regina felt a tightness in her chest and she choked back a sob. She was losing Henry. It wasn't fair! She didn't want to lose him! But it was the price she had to pay to make sure he was safe.

"I love you, Henry. Be safe, My Little Prince." As Emma headed down the road, she looked at Henry and smiled. This trip was going to be a blast.

ONE YEAR LATER

Emma smiled as she made cocoa for her and Henry as she finished cooking the eggs and bacon. _Love Saturdays_ , she thought to herself. It was their day. Her life hadn't been easy. After conceiving Henry after a one night stand and then delivering him in jail because the worthless jackass she had been dating at the time had set her up to take the fall for a heist he had committed, she had struggled to do right by Henry. But it had all been worth it. After the food was done, she put it on plates, and then she put the cinnamon into their cocoa and then brought the mugs and plates to the table and sat down, smiling at her son. They each went to take a bite of the food when-there was insistent pounding on the door.

"We expecting someone?" he asked.

"No," she replied.

"You don't think it's-" he started to ask, a note of fear creeping into his voice.

"No. Devin's still in jail," his mother assured. _They'd let me know if he wasn't_ , she thought to herself. There was no way she would let that bastard anywhere near Henry. She went to the door and her brows furrowed in confusion when she saw the guy in the black trench coat. _Who the hell is that?_ she wondered. Making a decision, she opened the door.

"Swan," the man said in an Irish accent.

"Who are you?" she demanded. _Did Devin send him?_ she wondered frantically. If one of his friends was pissed about him being placed in prison due to skipping out on his bond, how come they hadn't been notified? Before she knew what was happening, the guy had pulled her close and kissed her passionately.


	2. Same Town, Different Curse

AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER

Belongs to ABC Studios and whoever owns the show. I only own the plot.

 _What the hell!?_ Emma thought to herself. She pulled away and punched the man.

"Who the hell are you and what the hell do you think you're doing?" she demanded.

"Sorry, Love. I was just hoping.." the man's voice trailed off. _Obviously, she's still into Baelfire, but I was hoping that there was enough of a friendship type of a love to wake her up_ , he thought to himself. At this, she let out an exclamation of disgust and shoved him out the door.

"Mom, is everything okay?" Henry asked.

"Yeah, Kid. Everything's okay," Emma assured. "Let's just finish breakfast," she stated. Henry nodded, his eyes clouding in concern. _Something's up_ , he thought to himself. Like his mother, he seemed to know when she was lying. Of course, she had only really lied to him a couple of times, both regarding the relationships she had had that had turned sour. He had been upset before, but now realized that she had been trying to protect him. After all, who wanted their kid to know that their conception was the result of a one night stand or that they had had been born in jail because some jerk had turned on them? The knocking came again and she groaned. _Ugh…if it's that same idiot, I'm going to knee him where it hurts_ , she thought to herself as she stood up. In fact, why hadn't she done so when he grabbed and kissed her? It would've been an appropriate reaction. She gave herself a mental shake and went to the door, Henry close behind her. The boy watched as his mother opened the door and then his eyes furrowed in confusion at the guy at the door.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"You again," his mother said at the same time. "What do you want?" she demanded.

"Your family's in danger," he said. _Probably should've started with that_ , he realized. But hindsight was twenty-twenty, or so he had heard.

"My family's right here," she responded. _What the hell is he talking about? I don't know him and he doesn't know me_ , she thought.

"Your parents, Neal. They need you," he insisted. _Surely she'll remember Baelfire in some capacity_ , he thought to himself.

"I don't know anyone named Neal," she responded.

"Henry's father,"

"My father?" Henry echoed in confusion. "Mom, you told me-"

"And it was the truth. I had a drunken one-night stand which resulted in you," Emma interrupted. _Great. I'm going to have to use those blasted potions after all_ , he thought. Apparently, the new memories were too strong. He had been hoping that Baelfire's name would be enough to jog her memories.

"That's what your memories are telling you, but it's not the truth. You fell in love with Henry's father. I have something that can help you remember that," the man stated.

"What do you mean?" Emma wondered suspiciously.

"Mom was in love?" Henry asked, his eyes widening. _I always thought she should have someone to love. Even if it's Walsh_ , he thought to himself. Not that there was anything wrong with Kevin Walsh. He just…didn't feel right to him. Of course, he wasn't going to say anything to his mother since he had never seen her so happy.

"Aye, she was," came the response. Emma then tensed as the man reached into his jacket pocket. Almost immediately, she angled herself in front of Henry. _Oh damn. He's got a gun_ , she thought to herself. How could she have been so careless? She braced herself and then-watched as he brought out two small vials. _What the..?_ she wondered. _The Blue Fairy walked up to Hook, a vial in hand._

 _"This will restore her memory. She just has to drink it," she told him, giving it to him._

 _"What about Henry?" he wondered._ _There's no way she'd let him be unprotected_ _, he mused._

 _"There wasn't enough time to make two vials and we need the Savior. You're to make sure only_ _ **she**_ _drinks it," she responded._ _We're in a war and a war is no place for children_ _, she thought. Emma would agree after she took the potion._

 _"Astrid and I made another vial," a voice said and the two turned to see Tinkerbell holding a similar vial, Astrid standing right beside her._

 _"Green, who gave you and Nova permission to-"_

 _"This isn't the Enchanted Forest and from what I hear, Henry's the one who got Emma to believe in the first place," came the interruption. She then turned to Hook and gave him the second vial._

 _"Go. Bring them both home." He smiled at the soft tone and then headed_ _out._

 _"Good luck," Astrid said._

"You need to drink these," he told them. "They'll return your memories and you'll remember everything," he continued.

"Why should we believe you? We don't even know you," she countered.

"Not anymore you don't," he allowed. "But I know you have a type of super power in which you can tell if someone's lying," he continued. At this, mother and son looked at each other. How would this guy know that? It didn't make sense. _Okay, I'll bite_ , Emma thought and took one of the vials and drank it in one gulp. If this was a trick, she'd kick the guy's ass. Almost immediately, images besieged her and she looked at the man.

"Killian," she breathed.

"Aye love," he confirmed. _She's back. Wonderful_ , he thought to himself. They had a chance now.

"Mom? You know him?" Henry asked.

"Yes, I do," Emma answered, taking the second vial and handing it to him, resulting in a look of confusion from the boy. "It's okay, Kid. It tastes a little nasty but it won't hurt you," she assured. At this, Henry drank the concoction. His mom would **never** let anything bad happen to him. He then blinked as images entered his mind. _Whoa, weird_ , he thought to himself.

"Killian," he noted. "What's going on?" he asked.

"We need to get to Storybrooke. Baelfire and Rumplestiltskin are missing," the man replied.

"Whoa, wait a minute. Rumplestiltskin? He's dead. We all saw him die," she reminded him.

"Grandpa's alive?" Henry asked at the same time.

"Aye, he is lad. She didn't give me all of the details but apparently, Belle and your father found a way to bring him back without a price," he responded.

"No, that's impossible. All magic comes with a price and Grandpa once said that bringing back the dead involved the darkest of magic," Henry objected.

"When did you talk to your grandfather about something like that?" Emma asked sharply.

"It was shortly after Dr. Whale brought back Daniel. I asked Grandpa why he couldn't have been brought back before and he said that the laws of magic prevented it by placing a really high price on it," Henry replied.

"We really **should** get going, Love," Killian stated.

"Don't call me "love" and you're right," she agreed. "Got a car?"

"No. Regina opened a portal."

"We'll take mine. Henry, grab only what you can fit into the bug. We'll send for the rest of our stuff later." _Neal's in trouble. He needs me_ , she thought to herself. Henry went to do so and Emma also grabbed some stuff she wanted to bring. _Wish I had my necklace_ , she thought. She missed that necklace. Neal had given it to her after stealing it for her. Well, hopefully, she'd get it back soon. Once they had everything and everyone was buckled up, they headed out. As she drove down the street, Emma dialed a number and waited.

"Hello?" she heard a moment later.

"Kevin, hi. Uh…listen, something jumped off on a case and I won't be able to make it to dinner tonight. I'm really sorry," she apologized.

"What case?" Kevin asked sharply.

"One of my older ones," Emma replied in a surprised tone. _He's never been snappish before. What's up with that?_ she wondered.

"Emma, you can't just leave. You have commitments here!" Kevin growled, his eyes turning from his usual brown to a deep red. _What is she thinking!?_ his mind screeched. His mistress would **not** be pleased. He was supposed to keep her here!

"Kevin, it's for work. I-" her explanation trailed off at the terrible screech. "Kevin?" she asked, her voice becoming alarmed. The man screeched again and two giant grey wings broke through his clothes as his limbs twisted and turned until a grey monkey stood where a man had once been. _Much better_ , the monkey thought to itself. He had **hated** that human disguise. Now to take care of the damn Savior. With another screech, he leaped into the air, flapping his wings as fast as he could and headed out, honing in on Emma's scent.

"Swan, are you all right?" Killian asked in concern.

"We got cut off. There was an animal or something," Emma replied.

"It sounded like a monkey," Henry stated.

"Damn. She must've found us," Killian stated.

"Who?" Henry and Emma asked as Emma continued down the road. Before Killian could respond, a loud screech filled the air and they all looked up.

"Is that a-" Henry started to ask.

"Flying monkey?" Emma finished.

"Aye. We're fighting the Wicked Witch of the West but we don't know who she is," Killian replied, handing Henry his phone. "Call your mother. Ask her if she can create us a portal."

"I don't remember **that** in the kid's storybook."

"Different type of a tale, Mom." Henry waited.

"Hook?" Regina asked.

"Mom!"

"Henry?!"

"We're being chased by a flying monkey! We need a portal!" Regina gasped. _Henry_ , she thought. He was in trouble. Seeing the distressed look, Tinkerbell and Astrid walked up to her.

"Regina, what is it?" Tinkerbell asked.

"Henry's in trouble. He just asked for a portal but my magic's unpredictable. I don't know if-"

"We'll help." Regina summoned her magic from herself revealing a white light and Tinkerbell summoned from hers from her wand as Astrid did likewise, which emitted a bright green light and a bright pink light respectively and they placed the three energies together, closing their eyes and bringing Henry to mind. _Hold on, My Little Prince. Mommy's coming_ , Regina thought to herself. The energy shook and the three women grunted as they drew up more strength. They then opened their eyes to see a portal shimmering and shaking.

"It's not working," Tinkerbell fretted.

"It **has** to," Regina growled. _Henry_ , she thought frantically. She couldn't lose him. Suddenly, a blue light crackled, joining the green, pink, and white lights and they looked to see Blue, holding her wand.

"Blue," Tinkerbell said in surprise. _I didn't think she would help us_ , she thought in surprise.

"You're…helping us?" Astrid queried, sounding as surprised as her fellow fairy.

"I'm not as much of a self-righteous ass as I pretend to be," she smirked and despite the situation, Tinkerbell, Astrid, and Regina couldn't help the chuckles that escaped. "Now then, let's get our friends home, shall we?" With that, Tinkerbell, Astrid, Regina, and Blue all summoned more strength and they all focused on Emma, Henry, and Hook. Moments later, the yellow bug appeared in Storybrooke.

"Whoa. How did…?" Emma asked in confusion. Yeah, she knew it was magic that had teleported them from the road to here, but who would have enough power to do something like this?

"It was Mom. It **had** to be," Henry realized.

"Let's go find her," Emma stated. _It must be bad if they called us here_ , she thought. With that, they headed out, unaware that Regina and the others were coming to meet them.

"Emma!" Snow exclaimed.

"Henry!" Regina cried at the same time

"Mom!" Emma and Henry called, running to them. Within moments, Emma, Snow, Henry, Regina, and David had wrapped each other in a hug, though Emma noted that her father was quick to make sure her mother wasn't squished.

"Ohh….we missed you guys," David breathed.

"What's going on? Why aren't you all back in the Enchanted Forest? That's where the Pan's Curse was taking you, right?" Emma queried.

"We were…I think," David replied.

"You think?" Henry repeated.

"Things are fuzzy. Bits of the year are missing. Like someone tried to erase our memories and didn't get the spell quite right," Snow replied. _That can't be good_ , Emma thought to herself.

"Or got interrupted," Regina commented, twisting a finger on her left hand.

"That's not good," Henry said.

"No it's not. And from what I can tell, it's been at least a year," Regina stated, repeating her previous motion, causing Henry's eyes to narrow in concern. _What's up with Mom? She's not usually so nervous_ , he mused.

"How can you be sure? You stopped time when you cast your curse. How do you know this isn't the same?" Emma wondered. Then her jaw dropped as her mother came up to her. At the same time, Henry's jaw dropped as Regina let her left hand come into view.

"You're pregnant?" Emma gasped seeing the swollen belly.

"You're **married**?!" Henry exclaimed. Hearing this, Emma turned to the Mayor and her jaw dropped even more when she saw that the woman's left hand was adorned by a silver band with a red ruby.


	3. Missing Family

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

ToxicWednesday: Thanks. Glad you like it.

AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER

Belongs to ABC Studios and whoever owns the show. I only own the plot. I use a couple of lines from "Quiet Minds". So apparently I didn't put this in the author's note at the beginning like I thought I had, but this story will entail several types of abuse in this and later chapters, so if that's not your thing or it's a trigger for you, please bow out now. I use a line from Supernatural because I couldn't resist. I got the phrase "One and done" from the Sleepy Hollow episode "Kali Yuga" and the significance of this phrase will be explained later in the story.

"Yes, I'm married," Regina answered and Emma took a closer at the ring. The band around the ruby had a small engraving of a Coat of Arms, a deer, and a unicorn fighting a lion hanging off of an L. _Wow. That's beautiful_ , she thought to herself.

"Who is he? Is he in the Storybook?" Henry queried.

"Well, he's in **a** storybook, but not **your** storybook," Regina answered.

"Don't be coy, Regina. Who is he?" Emma demanded.

"That would be me," a man with a slight Scottish accent stated and they all turned.

"Who are you?" Henry asked.

"Robin Locksley at your service," the man answered.

"Like…Robin Hood?" Emma asked.

"Yes," the man replied.

"What about Maid Marian?" Henry wondered.

"She's dead. She got sick shortly after Roland was born. She died a few months later," Robin replied.

"I'm so sorry," Emma murmured.

"So the stories about you and her are wrong too?" Henry queried. _That sucks. I always liked those stories_ , he thought to himself. Then again, thanks to the appearance of the Storybook, he was well aware that this world's fairy tales weren't necessarily true, so why **wouldn't** be true for other types of stories?

"Some of them, yes," Robin replied. "Though I **do** like the idea of us growing old together. Alas, it's only fiction." Regina placed a comforting hand on his wrist and he smiled at her.

"We'll make sure Roland knows all about her."

"So we're facing the Wicked Witch," Emma commented, bringing the subject back on topic.

"Yes," David replied.

"We know who she is?" Emma pressed and the others shook their heads. "Well…shouldn't it be easy to find someone with green skin, even in Storybrooke?"

"The books and movie could be wrong, Mom," Henry pointed out.

"Or she's using magic to hide her true appearance," Regina surmised and Emma and Henry nodded. That made sense. _If Rumplestiltskin was here, he could help us_ , she thought. Wait…Hook had said that he, Neal, and her family were in trouble.

"Neal. Where's Neal?" she asked.

"And Grandpa?" Henry added. Everyone fell silent. "Where are they?" he asked again, panic creeping into his voice. Hearing this, Regina went over to him and placed her hands on his shoulders reassuringly.

"We don't know right now. But we **are** going to find them," she stated.

"That's right," another voice said and the formerly Evil Queen glanced to see her stepdaughter right beside her. "This family **always** finds each other, and Neal and Rumplestiltskin are family," she continued as her husband walked up to them.

"We better check on Belle. She's not taking Rumpelstiltskin's disappearance very well," he stated.

"Where is she?" the Savior wondered.

"The library he gave to her. If she's not there, she'll be at his pawn shop," her father responded and she immediately headed in the direction of the library, her son and Killian close behind. When they got to the building, they walked in.

"Belle?" the woman asked.

"Grandma?" Henry queried, earning him a quirked brow from his mother. "She hates it when I call her that so I figured-" he began to explain.

"I'd come out and tell you not to call me that," a voice interrupted and they turned to see the girl.

"Something like that," Henry admitted.

"What can I do for you?" Belle queried.

"First of all, I heard that you managed to bring Gold back and then he disappeared?" Emma queried.

"Yeah."

"How are you handling that?" The librarian sighed.

"Not well. I'm worried. If he could get something to me, he **would**." Emma nodded. She was right. Gold wouldn't let Belle worry.

"And Neal? Gold was dead. How would bring him back without a price?"

"Yeah, Belle, how?" _Belle and Neal were looking through a book._

" _So, I'm curious, I was with Rumple in this castle for a very long time, and I've never_ _ **once**_ _saw you. How long have you been here?" Belle asked the chandelier, Lumiere._

" _Two hundred years," came the response._

" _And he kept you like that the whole time? Neal asked._ _Sounds like him_ _, he thought to_ _himself as he studied the spell. Feeling Belle's hand grip his arm, Neal looked to her and she leaned in._

" _He's lying. Rumple built this library for me shortly before Regina cast the Curse. it's only been here for about thirty years, if that," she_ _murmured._

" _Maybe he is and maybe he isn't, but this is our only shot to bring him back," he responded and then went to grab the latch. However, Belle grabbed his wrist. "What the hell? Let go!" Summoning as much strength as she could, Belle began pulling back the man, who was so surprised by her actions that she was able to pull him back a few feet. With a huff, Neal went to pass her but she lashed out with a fist aiming for his nose and he let out a cry as she made contact._

" _What the hell!? Did you just slug_ _me!?_

 _"Yes, I did!" She reached up to grab his face, forcing him to look at her. "We will find another way. One that doesn't require you to give up your life for his."_

 _"There is no such spell," Lumiere stated and then fell silent as the woman turned to glare at_ _him._

 _"What do you suggest?" Neal asked with a sigh._

"Wait, you decked him?" Emma asked with a grin. _Too funny_ , she thought to herself.

"What'd you guys find?" Henry wondered.

"Well, according to one of Rumple's books, provided that you didn't wait too long, a person could plead with Hades for the life of the deceased," Belle answered.

"Hades? As in the god of the Underworld?" Emma gasped. _This guy is real too?_ she wondered. How many more folklore type things were going to turn out to be real?

"Yes," Belle nodded. _Neal read the incantation and then looked around as a wind picked up. When the floor started_ _shifting, Neal quickly pulled Belle towards him, positioning himself in front of her protectively. To their surprise, a man with brown hair and brown eyes materialized in front of them._

 _"Why have you summoned Hades?" he demanded in a booming voice and Belle gulped._ _Maybe this was a bad idea_ _, she thought to_ _herself._

 _"It's my father. We need him. And I was hoping-" Neal began to say._

 _"That he had not yet moved on," Hades interrupted._

 _"Well, granted, I'm not very knowledgeable in this sort of thing, but it's my understanding that the Underworld is a state of Purgatory," Neal replied, remembering to keep his tone respectful. They_ _ **were**_ _dealing with the ruler of the Underworld after all and the last thing they needed was to piss him off._

 _"It can be, yes," Hades answered. "What is your father's name?"_

 _"Rumplestiltskin," Belle and Neal answered together._

 _"Ah yes. The Dark One," Hades recalled. "Yes, he's down there," he responded, snapping his fingers. Instantly, Rumplestiltskin was in front of them._

 _"Papa!" Neal exclaimed._

 _"Rumple!" Belle cried at the same time._

 _"Bae. Belle," Rumplestiltskin stated. "How is this possible?" he wondered._

" _It's not your time but I couldn't send you back unless somebody specifically summoned me and asked for your release," Hades explained. Then, at their looks of disbelief. "I know, I know-red tape will drive you_ _nuts."_

" _Thank you," Rumplestiltskin, Belle, and Neal chorused. Hades nodded and once more the ground shifted and the being disappeared into the hole, which soon disappeared._ When Belle was done with her story, Emma and Henry nodded.

"And now they're missing," Emma realized.

"Aye," Killian replied. Before he could say more, the sound of running feet was heard and they all turned.

"Killian! Killian!" Tinkerbell shouted excitedly and then jumped into his arms, kissing him, an action that he reciprocated. _Hook and Tinkerbell?_ Henry asked himself. People would have a field day with this one if they knew.

"Wait. If you're with her, why'd you kiss me when you first showed up at the apartment?" Emma demanded and Tinkerbell pulled back.

"Why would you-" the fairy's question died off as she placed herself back on the ground. _Does he still love Emma?_ she wondered, trying to push down the wave of jealousy that was cropping up. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know.

"I, uh-I-I was hoping that-" As he continued to stammer, understanding dawned on the girl's face.

"You were hoping that the love of your friendship was deep enough to awaken her." He nodded. _Would that work?_ Emma wondered, turning to Henry, a questioning look on her face.

"Love is love. Doesn't have to be romantic," he replied and his mother nodded. Tinkerbell pulled Killian close and they all returned to the diner just in time to see Snow wincing.

"Mom?" Emma asked as David turned to her.

"We should get you back. Remember what Zelena said about you needing your rest," he stated and she nodded.

"Zelena? Who's Zelena?" Emma queried, pouncing on the name. _There's no one in Storybrooke named Zelena. Could she be the witch?_ she wondered.

"She's one of newer residents. A mid-wife," David replied.

"Newer residents?" Emma and Henry chorused.

"Yeah. We think that whoever tried to take our memories also cast a curse. Because one moment we were in the Enchanted Forest, and the next, we were back in Storybrooke and there were new people here," Snow White replied and her daughter nodded.

"Come on, Snow," David said and gently led her away.

"Will she be okay?" Henry asked anxiously.

"Yes, Dear. She just needs more rest as of late. The pregnancy has been taxing," Regina replied. _And as far as I can tell, it's not anything magical, but just nature_ , she thought to herself. And yes, she had checked. Call her overprotective or whatever, but with an unknown enemy out there, she wasn't about to take any chances. What no one noticed however, was that a man with dark blonde hair that was almost brown and brown eyes, dressed in a green sweater and grey jeans was staring at the Savior and her son. _Emma?_ he wondered. Was that really little Emma? _Thirteen-year old Emma looked up at the man._

 _"You with me?" he asked._

 _"Always," she responded._

 _"One and done," he said, holding out a hand._

 _"One and done," she repeated, clasping the hand firmly in her own._

"Tom?" The man gave himself a shake and looked up to see Granny staring at him in concern.

"I'm okay," he assured. "Can I have a refill on my coffee?" he requested.

"Coming right up," Granny said.

"I got it, Granny," Ruby stated, bringing the pot over and filling the cup. Meanwhile, out at a deserted farmhouse, Neal was struggling against the bonds that held him, wincing when the chains bit into his wrists. _Chained to a coat hanger. An experience I never wanted to repeat_ , he thought to himself. There had to be a way out of this. Hearing footsteps, he increased his struggle.

"Bae, stop. You're going to hurt yourself," Rumplestiltskin cautioned, only to be ignored. There was a flash of green smoke and both men froze. She was back. The Wicked Witch was back. Seeing their expressions, Zelena smirked. _They're frightened. Good. They_ _ **should**_ _be_ , she thought to herself. Her perfect plan had been ruined just when things had been going so well.

"The Savior is here. Why is she here?" the witch snapped.

"How the hell should I know?" Neal snapped, even as his heart leapt. It had worked. The message Papa had sent to Killian had been successful. _It worked. Wonderful_ , Rumplestiltskin thought to himself. He hadn't been sure it would be, but now that he knew it **had** been, it was only a matter of time before they were found. Zelena's eyes flashed angrily as she summoned her magic to her.

"One of you got a message out somehow. Confess and I'll be lenient," she stated. When neither one of them spoke, Zelena waved her hand and the Kris dagger appeared in her hand. At this, both Neal and Rumplestiltskin tensed. "Now then, how about the truth?" she demanded, thrusting it at Rumplestiltskin who groaned as he felt tendrils of energy coursing over his body. _I'm sorry, Bae_ , he thought to himself. The pull to obey the command was too strong.

"It was-" the Dark One started to say.

"It was me!" Neal interrupted. "It was me! I got a message out. I told Hook to find the Savior." _Damn it, Bae_ , Rumplestiltskin seethed. Why was his boy still trying to protect him? It was supposed to be the other way around. At this, Zelena grinned. _Works every time_ , she thought to herself. If she threatened one, the other broke. It was a thing of beauty. Zelena snapped her fingers and almost instantly, Neal found himself on his back on a bed. He started to get up but a burst of magic pinned him to the bed. _No_ , he thought to himself. With another wave of her hand, the chains that had previously tied him to the coat rack once more wrapped around his wrists tying them to the headboard. _No_ , he thought to himself and began struggling. He wasn't letting this happen again.

"Stop," Zelena snapped. "Or should I get Daddy in here to make you stop?" At this, Neal froze. _It'd kill him if she made him hurt me_ , he thought to himself. The witch smirked and straddled him, letting her magic run over his body and he grunted as she ghosted her hands over his skin. The woman smirked as she felt his cock twitch. She **loved** making his body react to her.

"What've you done?" he asked, glaring at her.

"Heightened your body's natural reaction with a spell of course," she responded, proving her point by placing a hand on his cock and stroking it, causing the appendage to harden. "Such a delicious little spell…wouldn't you agree?"

"I will **kill** you." Her response to this was to simply repeat the action and he moaned.

"Oh and a bonus: the spell also increases your stamina, which means we can do this for quite some time." With a flick of her wrist, they were both naked from the waist down and she smirked. He really **was** quite attractive. She then entered him quickly and his face grimaced.

" _How do you handle it, Tom?" sixteen-year old Neal asked._

" _I go away. Just lock myself into the furthest corner in my mind until it's over."_

" _And it works?"_

" _Every time."_ Neal steadied his breathing, letting his body go slack and face go blank.

" _We're in this together, right, Tom?" Neal asked._

" _Of course," Tom responded as he held out a hand. "One and done."_

" _One and done," Neal repeated, clasping his hand._


	4. Searching For A Witch

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

ToxicWednesday: Thanks. Glad you like it. And yes, Regina and Robin are going to have happy in this fic.

AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER

Belongs to ABC Studios and whoever owns the show. I only own the plot.

It was several hours-Neal believed, he wasn't too sure to be honest-before Zelena got done with him and returned him to the spot across from Rumplestiltskin, using her magic to chain him back up to the coat hanger before poofing away.

"Bae?" Rumplestiltskin asked anxiously. _I didn't hear a peep from him. Did she use a silencing spell on him?_ he wondered.

"M'fine," Neal assured.

"I didn't hear anything. Did she use a silencing spell?" Rumplestiltskin queried and the younger man shook his head.

"I went away. Just shut down, like a friend taught me to," he replied.

"You…shut down?" Rumplestiltskin gasped, the words reverberating in his mind. He had been taught to block out abuse by someone, which meant that this had happened to him before.

"Papa, let it go," Neal sighed, seeing the look. _He's pissed_ , he thought to himself. Not that he could blame him. After all, what parent wanted to hear that their child had been hurt?

"Bae," Rumplestiltskin said.

"I'm **fine** , Papa," Neal insisted. _It happened. it's done. I don't want to rehash it_ , he thought to himself. Hearing the irritation in the younger man's voice, Rumplestiltskin fell silent. _Press him on it later_ , he told himself. Baelfire obviously didn't want to talk about it and it wouldn't do him any good to piss him off. They needed to stay united if they were going to get out of here. The Dark One focus his attention on the chains and attempted to bring his magic forth. However, just like in all of his other attempts, no magic came. Rumplestiltskin scowled. _Blast it!_ he thought to himself. He needed to get free so he could transport Baelfire out of here. He would let the Wicked Witch do whatever he wanted to **him** , but he couldn't let his son be hurt anymore. Neal's eyes flickered as he took in his father's frustration. _Apparently, whatever spell she's using to bind his magic's still in effect_ , he thought to himself. Which totally sucked. He could see how much it was killing the man to be powerless, and truth be told, he had never been a fan of it either. _That damn dagger_ , he thought bitterly. If Zelena didn't have it on her possession, his papa couldn't be used as a threat. And no, he wasn't afraid of him, but he knew that being used against him in **any** way was the man's greatest fear. And he had to come up with a way to keep that from happening again. But what and how? He needed to figure this out. Maybe he could use what she was doing to him to their advantage. _Okay, I need to think on this_ , he thought to himself. There had to be a way to get out of here and he was going to find it. While this was going on, Emma and the others were perusing a map of Storybrooke and discussing where they could look.

"If the Wicked Witch of the West really **is** here, she'd probably want someplace out of the way, even if she **did** take our memories, which means that she could be hiding in the woods or the forest," Emma stated.

"My men and I can check all of the woods and the forest, including the Troll Bridge," Robin offered.

"Awesome, that's appreciated," Emma responded. _I can't believe I'm sitting here discussing a search party with Robin Hood_ , she thought to herself. It was unreal. But at the same time, if it helped her get Neal back, she'd work with the freakin' Loch Ness Monster if it was necessary, and at the rate things were going, she wouldn't be at all surprised if **that** was real too. Okay she needed to stop getting sidetracked. They had to find Neal and Rumplestiltskin. _Want him back_ , she thought to herself. At her words, Robin and his men and stood up and headed out as Snow glanced at the woman.

"We'll find them," she assured. _We just got to have faith_ , she thought to herself. Neal and Rumplestiltskin were family and their family always found each other.

"I hope so," Emma stated. _Not good at this faith thing_ , she thought to herself. And why should she be? The few times she had trusted someone before, she had been let down. After that, she had determined that it was better to just trust in herself. And now they wanted her to have faith that they were going to find Rumplestiltskin and her-well, whatever Neal was to her? Yeah, that wasn't going to be easy. Snow's eyes flickered. _I want to help her. How do I do that?_ she wondered. She had no idea what to do. This was all new to her. Emma was her daughter, and yet, she was a grown woman. And she had no idea how to comfort her. _I should know how to comfort her_ , she thought to herself. Around Storybrooke, Robin and his men had spread out and had started searching. _We need a sign of some sort_ , Robin thought to himself. But if it was a witch, she was probably good at keeping her basis of operation concealed. But how? A cloaking spell of some sort? _That's a disturbing thought_ , Robin silently mused. John glanced at his friend.

"Are you all right?" he queried.

"Yes. Just anxious to find Rumplestiltskin and his son," came the response. And wasn't that just a kick in the head? He was actually worried about the Dark One. Then again, they would all have to be on guard. After all, no one knew who the witch was and they needed to be on their guard. While this was going on, David had decided to take Mary Margaret home.

"David, I'm fine. I'm not an invalid," she reminded him as he helped her to the car.

"I know, but I'd feel better if you were at home where Regina's protection spells are up rather than out in the open," he responded. _There's something I never thought I'd say_ , he thought to himself. He **still** found it weird to trust Regina, even though he had seen a change in her since Neverland. But he **was** slowly getting used to it. At this, the woman sighed and nodded.

"Okay," she stated. _He's worried. He wants to make sure I'm protected_ , she realized. Not that she could blame him. They had no idea who the witch was and as much as she hated to admit it, her pregnancy made her vulnerable. She was silent as her husband helped her into the vehicle and then got into the driver's seat, and started the car. A few moments later, they arrived at home and walked in, smiling when the smell of food reached their nostrils.

"Smells like Zelena's cooking," Mary Margaret commented.

"Yeah. Hope she didn't go to too much trouble," David stated.

"I heard that!" Zelena called from the kitchen. "And it's no trouble at all," she assured them. Smiling, the fairy tale couple walked into the kitchen.

"Thanks for this. I don't know what we'd do without you," David stated as he helped Snow into a chair and then sitting in the chair next to her.

"Of course," Zelena responded. _Foolish prince. Thanks to the spells in my cooking and tea, you and your silly little Snow White are under my thrall_ , she thought to herself. It had been rather ingenious of her if she did say so herself. A few drops of loyalty potion in the food and tea and they were both putty in her hands. And that's just the way she liked it. When the food was done, the woman brought it to the table and the couple followed her and sat down. As they began eating, Zelena smirked to herself. Soon Charming and Snow White would be all hers. Back in Zelena's farmhouse, Neal was testing his bonds. _Gotta be a way to get out of these things. Gotta find the weak spot_ , he thought to himself.

"Bae, you're going to hurt yourself," Rumplestiltskin warned.

"Just gotta find the weak spot. Soon as I do that, we can get out of here," Neal responded.

"Bae I don't think it's worth-" Rumpelstiltskin's objection died off as the air shimmered. _Someone's coming. Who?_ he wondered. With a sense of trepidation, both men watched as the air began to crackle and within moments, a figure with dark blonde hair that was almost brown and brown eyes, wearing a green sweater and grey jeans stood in front of them. _Who is that?_ Rumplestiltskin wondered as his son's jaw dropped.

"TOM?!"


	5. The Search Commences

AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER

Belongs to ABC Studios and whoever owns the show. I only own the plot.

"Bae, you know this man?" Rumplestiltskin queried as the man went to undo Neal's bonds.

"Yeah, he's an old friend. But I have no idea what he's doing **here** ," Neal responded, giving the other man a look of confusion. _He's older, but those eyes. I'll never forget those eyes. The green with the speck of gold,_ he thought to himself. _Neal looked at the older boy with suspicion._

" _Who the hell are you?" he demanded._

" _Tom," the boy answered._

"I was realm jumping when I got pulled into the Wicked Witch's curse," Tom replied.

"Realm jumping?" Neal repeated. "You're a-"

"A wizard, yes. And yes that's different than a sorcerer," Tom confirmed. "My powers allow me to travel through realms with ease and I'm pretty adept at teleportation," he continued as he focused on Neal's bonds, his mind going back. _Tom's eyes flickered as he focused on the spell that would take him where he wanted to go._

"That still doesn't explain your presence **here** ," Neal pointed out. _Tom had just started teleporting when he felt something pulling at him._ _What the hell?_ _he wondered. This had never happened before. What was going_ _on? A few moments later, he landed with a thump. He then looked around. Nothing looked familiar. As he looked around, he saw various people looking at each other in confusion._

" _How'd we get back here? We were in the Enchanted Forest," a woman with dark hair stated._ _Uh-oh_ _, Tom thought. He had gotten pulled into_ _someone's spell. And the only way_ _ **that**_ _could happen was if the spell-caster was a novice or unused to casting spells._ _Okay, play along_ _, he coached himself. No need to make everyone else confused or tip his hand._ At the loft, Zelena looked into her purse and frowned as her compact flashed green. _Why is my alert going off?_ she wondered.

"Zelena, is everything okay?" Mary Margaret queried and the woman flashed a grin at the couple who was looking at her worriedly.

"Yes. I just have to take care of something real quick," she reassured them, standing up.

"Do you need any help?" David asked, doing the same.

"No, no. Take care of your wife. This shan't take long," Zelena was quick to say.

"Are you sure?" David queried and Zelena's smirk grew as she heard the desperate tone. _So eager to help. So loyal_ , she thought to herself. Once again, her enchantment had worked like a charm. Now if she could only figure out a way for it to last longer than it did. But that would come later. Right now, she had some prisoners to take care of. With that, she walked out, and once she was out of eye sight, she whisked herself away in a cloud of green smoke. Back at Zelena's dungeon, feeling the familiar rush of air that signaled somebody teleporting, Tom pulled away from Neal.

"I gotta go. If I get caught here, I won't be able to get you guys out unscathed," he said.

"Tom, you can't just-" Neal protested.

"I'm not abandoning you, Neal," Tom promised. "Hey. Look at me." Neal did so. "One and done." _What? What does_ _ **that**_ _mean?_ Rumplestiltskin wondered. Hearing this, Neal nodded. _He'll be back. He's doing what he has to_ , he thought.

"One and done," he repeated. With that, Tom quickly teleported out. Almost immediately, Zelena appeared.

"Who was here?" she demanded.

"No one," Neal responded. With a growl, the woman stomped over to them, magic bursting out of her fingertips.

"Your bonds are loose as if someone was working on them. Who was here?" she demanded.

"One and done," Neal responded with a grin. _Tom's got my back. Always has, always will. Not diming him out_ , he thought to himself.

"What the bloody hell does that mean?" Zelena demanded, her eyes flashing angrily.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Rumplestiltskin taunted. _I would too, but I'm not telling_ _ **her**_ _that_ , he thought to himself. Zelena let out another growl and threw her magic at the Dark One who groaned in pain.

"Leave him alone!" Neal snapped. _I can't let this happen to him_ , he thought to himself. He had to do something to make it stop, but what? _Need to figure this out_ , he thought to himself. He had to get Zelena to stop going after his father. But how?

"Tell me what I want to know," she demanded.

"One and done," he repeated and her eyes darkened. She had no idea what that stupid phrase meant and she was going to make the boy tell her. Without warning, she thrust her magic at him and he groaned in pain, gritting his teeth. _Don't let her see how much this hurts. Don't let her get to you_ , he coached himself. It was just like taking whatever crap a foster parent dished out. He just had to put it aside-go away. He had always been pretty good at that. And now he knew that they had help. Tom would get them out. He just had to hold onto that. And he **would**. Tom had never let him down before, and he wouldn't this time. While all of this was going on, Emma and the others had spread out and had started the search. _Wonder what's up with Snow and David_ , she thought to herself. It was just weird. They weren't acting like themselves and it was worrying her. Okay, focus. She had to focus. They needed to find Rumplestiltskin and Neal and she couldn't be worrying. She just had to focus on things. Like finding her boyfriend. Wait. Boyfriend. Did she think of Neal as a boyfriend? No. Of course not. Well…maybe…she wasn't sure. There **was** a lot of history, but she couldn't be sure of where they stood. What if he was still hung up on the memory of Tamara? Sure she had nearly killed him, but he had loved her enough to propose, so she had obviously meant something to him. And when they found him, she didn't want to just throw herself at him. He had hurt her once. Who was to say that he wouldn't again? While this was going on, Blue, Tinkerbell, and Nova had shrunk themselves down and were flying over Storybrooke. They needed to find Rumplestiltskin and Baelfire. Where could they be? Tinkerbell wondered. It wasn't like Baelfire to just disappear like this. Something was wrong. She was sure of it. _Baelfire, where are you?_ she wondered. Nova glanced at her.

"We'll find him," she assured.

"How can you be sure?" the second fairy wondered.

"Because it's what we do, Green. I know it seemed like I had forgotten that, but I haven't," the head fairy responded and Tinkerbell nodded. "And I'm sorry." Hearing this, Tinkerbell glanced at her.

"For what?"

"For underestimating you and Nova. You are fine fairies." The two younger fairies looked at each other and grinned. Wow. Blue had just complimented them! It was….unbelievable. Blue then concentrated on the land, keeping an eye out for their friends' familiar forms. They needed to find them. On the ground, Emma had decided to go to the loft to ask for David's help in the search and was now staring at her father in surprise. _I can't believe I'm hearing this_ , she thought to herself.

"What do you mean can't help me?" she demanded.

"Zelena said that Mary Margaret needs and rest and that I'll have to stay here to look after her," he responded. _I don't know why I can't make her understand_ , he thought to himself. What Zelena told him made sense: there was nothing more important than making sure that Mary Margaret was okay. Emma's boyfriend would just have to wait.

"I get that you're both on edge because of the witch but-" she began to say.

"Emma, stop arguing with your father," Snow snapped, her eyes flashing. _I can't believe she's being so unreasonable_ , she thought to herself. She was an adult and should know that family was the highest priority. Emma's head recoiled at the sharp tone. _She's never snapped at me before_ , she thought to herself.

"What's the matter with you guys?" she demanded.

"Nothing's the matter with us. Why would you even ask that?" David replied.

"You're not acting like yourselves," Emma pointed out. Yeah, David would be worried about leaving Snow, but he had never been so unreasonable as to think that he was the only one who could look after his wife. "You've always trusted the dwarves and now you won't even let one of them watch her while you help me look for Gold and Neal," she continued. "Or even Ruby."

"You really think I'd leave my wife at the mercy of a dangerous werewolf freak?" he asked harshly and Emma's eyes widened. Had David really said that? _Okay, something's_ _ **definitely**_ _up. But I'll play along_ , she thought to herself.

"You're right. I don't know what I was thinking. You stay here and keep her safe. I'll look for Gold and Neal," she said and then went to her car and drove off. As she did, she picked up her phone and scrolled through the contacts, smiling when she came across Ruby's number. _So glad I never erased it_ , she thought to herself. Under her new memories, she had been tempted to erase it due to the fact that she had thought it had belonged to a friend that she had had a falling out with, but had never been able to go through with it. She opened the information, pressed the "call" button, and waited.

"Hello?" she heard a few moments later.

"Hey Ruby, it's Emma," she greeted.

"What can I do for you?" Ruby wondered.

"Something's up with my parents. They're not…acting like themselves. David wouldn't…he…"

"Let me guess, he wouldn't leave Snow and when you mentioned me, he called me a werewolf freak," the other woman supplied.

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"They've both been acting weird for weeks. I'll check it out."

"Great." Both women hung up and Emma went to the Troll Bridge while Ruby headed for David and Snow's place. Something was wrong with her friends and it was high time she found out what. She wasn't going to lose them. She refused to. As she came closer to their house, a strong and sweet smell with a tinge of power reached her nostrils. Magic. That was magic. But Snow and David didn't use magic. Silently, she walked further up to the house, closer to an open window.

"Where's Zelena? It's not like her to be gone so long," Snow fretted. _What if the witch got her? What will we do?_ she wondered.

"Relax. I'm sure she's okay," David soothed even though his heart was racing with its own worry. _Zelena's smart. She'd know what to do to protect herself from any threat_ , he thought, trying to push down his nervousness.

"But she's helping us with the baby. We don't have a clue what we're doing. And we can't turn to anyone else. Only Zelena can help us," Snow reminded. _What!? That's crap! She knows me and the dwarves would help them if they'd just ask_ , she fumed. Who could've convinced them of such a thing? Maybe Regina would know what was going on. Making a decision, she stepped away from the house, pulled her phone out, and dialed Regina's number.

"Hello?" the woman asked.

"It's Ruby. Snow and David aren't acting like themselves. They're talking weird, like they really believe that Zelena is the only one who can help them get ready for their baby's birth," the wolf reported. _What in the world? That doesn't sound like Snow_ , the former Evil Queen thought to herself. She would welcome any and all forms of help if she needed it.

"Where are you?" she asked.

"Her place," came the response and a moment later, Regina materialized in front of Ruby.

"Thank goodness you're here. They've stopped talking to me, but you had gotten closer together. Maybe she'll listen to you," the wolf stated. Regina nodded and went to the door, knocking on it. A few moments later, it opened to reveal Snow.

"Regina, what are you doing here?" she wondered.

"I thought I'd come by to see if there was anything I could do to help," the older woman responded.

"Oh. Well-" Snow's eyes widened in shock as her voice trailed off and David walked up to her.

"Thank you, Regina. That's very kind. But maybe if you could get Zelena?" he queried.

"Yes! Yes, Zelena! She'll know how to help us," the younger girl stated.

"Do you think you could find her? We really **are** lost without her," her husband continued. _Oh this is not good_ , the formerly Evil Queen thought to herself as she noticed the glazed look in the couple's eyes.

"Yes. I'll see what I can do," she promised and then went back to where Ruby was, teleporting them both back to her mansion.

"What's going on? Why'd you poof us away so fast? What's wrong with them?" the wolf asked.

"They're under a loyalty spell."


	6. Witch Revealed

AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER

Belongs to ABC Studios and whoever owns the show. I only own the plot. My apologies for this taking so long. I've been going through some personal stuff.

"A loyalty spell?" Ruby echoed. "How does it work exactly and is it an easy or a hard spell to do?" she wondered.

"The spell itself is fairly simple to enact, but the consequences can be unpredictable," came the response.

"What do you mean unpredictable?" the wolf queried.

"Sometimes a spell like this can make a person paranoid, dangerous. They often take on traits of the person who cast the spell, such as Zelena's apparent view of werewolves," came the response.

"So it's just the spell that's turned them against me?" the other woman asked. _Thank God that they don't actually think I'm a monster_ , she thought to herself. She had seriously started thinking that they had changed their minds about her.

"Yes. Spells like this, they can make a person feel things that aren't necessarily there," the former Evil Queen explained. "Fortunately, they wear off after forty-eight hours," she added.

"So that means that whoever the witch is, they'd have to constantly recast the spell," Ruby realized.

"Precisely."

"Could we track her that way? Through her magic, I mean?" Ruby wondered.

"Of course! Everyone's magic leaves a distinct trail. Why didn't **I** think of this?" Regina exclaimed. _Such an idiot_ , she thought to herself. "I can use a type of locator spell," she added.

"What do you need of theirs?" the other woman queried.

"Anything will do. Just need one item from either of them," came the response and the werewolf nodded.

"I still have some stuff of Mary Margaret's at my place you can use. Sometimes….when she seems to be herself again, she'll come over and then…"

"She goes back to hating you and she stays away."

"Yeah."

"Give me something and I'll be able to send it to her and we can use it to spy on the Charmings and figure out how to get them back to normal." And yes, she could readily admit, she was feeling protective. And why not? This **was** her stepdaughter they were talking about. No one was allowed to mess with Snow but her. Yes, she could admit that as much as she had hated the younger girl back in the Enchanted Forest, she was now that protective of her. And she'd be **damned** if anyone would hurt her. Well, more damned. Whatever. She just didn't want anyone to mess with Snow. Without another word, Regina teleported them both to Ruby's place and the wolf immediately went to get one of Mary Margaret's shawls, handing it to Regina when she came back.

"Yes, this will do quite nicely," the woman approved. _Now then, let's see if we can't figure out who placed them under the spell and how to undo it_ , she thought to herself. Without another word, she quietly began an incantation, waving her hand over the garment and then her lips curved into a satisfied smirk.

"How are you going to get it to them?" Ruby wondered.

"I'll return it to them. Make up some excuse about sneaking into your place and finding it and now I'm returning it," Regina replied.

"So you'll basically pretend to be on their side," Ruby surmised.

"Precisely," Regina confirmed and Ruby nodded. Before either of them could say anymore, Regina's phone rang, and the formerly Evil Queen couldn't stop the smile that curved her features at the familiar ring tone. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, her smile widening when she saw the name. She pressed the "talk" button and put the phone to her ear.

"Hey Babe," she greeted.

"Hey," Robin responded. "You got time to grab a bite with me and Roland? Me and my men decided to take a quick break from the search," he stated.

"Always. I just need to run a quick errand," she assured with a smile. _So happy I met them_ , she thought to herself. And to think, the man was her husband now. Husband. Yeah, that was going to take some getting used to. Especially since she only had fuzzy memories of the wedding itself. To be honest, that didn't sit well with her. When she had a wedding, she wanted to remember the whole damn thing, thank you very much! But at least they were happy together, and she had a family. Well, more of a family. With that, she grabbed the garment, and then teleported herself to Mary Margaret's home, landing outside the front door, knocking on it. A moment later, it opened to reveal Mary Margaret.

"Regina. What are you doing here?" the younger woman queried in surprise.

"Just thought you'd like this back," she replied, handing the shawl to her.

"Oh, this is wonderful! I had left it over at Ruby's and I wasn't about to step inside **that** place any time soon," she stated, taking the shawl.

"I don't blame you." Mary Margaret grinned. Of course Regina would understand. She had always had high standards. "Would you like to come in?"

"I'm sorry. I can't. I promised to have lunch with Robin and Roland." At this, the younger woman's smile grew. _So glad she found her happy ending_ , she thought to herself.

"Of course. Go on." Regina smiled.

"I'll see you later." With that, she walked away. A few moments later, she was at Granny's and she waved at Robin, going to the table he and Roland were at. The boys smiled at her and quickly made room for her to sit down, Robin stealing a quick kiss from her once she had.

"Hello, husband," she greeted. _Husband_. _Wow. I_ _ **still**_ _can't believe it_ , she thought to herself. That sounded **so** good to say. _Never thought I'd get the chance after Daniel_ , she mused. After Mother had killed Daniel, she had been sure that her chance for a happy ending had been ruined. But apparently, this wasn't the case.

"Mmm…that sounds good," Robin murmured. _Never thought I'd be someone's husband again_ , he mused. After Marion's death, he had resigned himself to being a single father to Roland. But now he had a wife who loved his son just as much as he did. Meanwhile, Emma had started searching the mines. Granted, Gold and Neal didn't frequent them, but they would be the perfect spot for the witch- **whoever** it was-to keep them captive. Her nerves were jangling and she had the distinct feeling that she was being watched. _Maybe I'm just feeling paranoid because Neal and Gold are missing_ , she thought to herself. She had never liked the feeling of her family or friends being in danger and Neal and Gold were **definitely** in danger-if not dead-so, of **course** she'd be on edge. Dead? No. She couldn't think like that. Neal and Gold were alive. She couldn't think otherwise. She wouldn't allow it. Hearing footsteps, she whirled around, gun raised.

"Whoa, Easy, Love. It's just us," a familiar voice assured.

"Damn it, Hook. I could've killed you!" she scolded.

"I told you we should've made our presence known," Tinkerbelle stated.

"What are you doing here?"

"I believe you call it 'back up'," Hook responded.

"That's appreciated," Emma stated. Okay, normally she'd rather handle things on her own or with her father, but the man was acting like a pod person and she had **no** idea what she was fighting here, so she'd take all the help she could get. _Okay, we can figure this out_ , she thought to herself. They **had** to. Neal and Gold were in trouble, and she didn't like that one little bit. But at least she had a little help now.

"Of course," Tinkerbell responded. _We'll get to the bottom of this and we'll find Baelfire and Rumplestiltskin_ , she thought to herself. Baelfire had always been nice to her when they were in Neverland which had resulted in a friendship and she **never** left her friends behind. _Hold on, Baelfire. We're coming_ , Killian thought to himself. He had let the lad down once before and he wasn't going to repeat that mistake. No, this time he was going to do what was right. Okay, so he didn't much care about the Crocodile, but it only stood to reason that Wherever Rumplestiltskin was, Baelfire would be there also. So yes, he would look for them both. He just wished he knew **where** to look.

"Okay, we should probably split up. Hook, you take the Troll Bridge, Tink, you take the mines, and I'll check around the Town Line," Emma instructed and the other two nodded before going off to their designated areas. While this was going on, the dwarves were combing the forest. They needed to find the witch. _Need to keep Regina and Roland safe_ , he mused. And he couldn't do that if there was a witch running around town. So yeah, he wanted the witch-whoever it was-out of Storybrooke.

"So if we defeat the witch, our memories will be restored?" Bashful queried. _Sick of trying to figure things out_ , he thought to himself. Only remembering things half way was getting annoying.

"I have no idea," Doc admitted. _I hope so. I'd like things to go back to normal_ , he mused. Well, as normal as things ever could be in Storybrooke. Okay, focus. He had to focus here. They were looking for a witch.

"Hey, over there," Dopey called, pointing. His brothers followed his gaze as a house suddenly came into view. As one, the group silently walked up to the house.

"Okay, remember, we need to be very quiet," Doc stated. _Wish Stealthy was still around_ , Grumpy thought to himself. He would've **loved** a mission like this. But he was dead and there was no bringing him back. Okay, he had to focus. They had the house and soon-hopefully-they'd have the witch. At their brothers' reminder, the other dwarves nodded. The last thing any of them wanted was to be caught by the witch that they were hunting. Silently, they walked up to the house. Sleepy let out a silent yawn and then peered in, his eyes widening a moment later.

"Holy crap!" he exclaimed, barely remembering to keep his voice low.

"What? What is it?" the other dwarves demanded as they crowded around him.

"The witch," they all chorused in a hoarse whisper. The witch who had done this to them was Zelena…


	7. Turning Point

AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER

Belongs to ABC Studios and whoever owns the show. I only own the plot.

"We gotta warn the town," Leroy said softly and as one, the dwarves backed away from the house and went back the way they came. They needed to let everyone know that they had identified the witch. But they also had to be discreet. The last thing they needed was the witch finding out that they had discovered who she was. No, they'd have to play things safe. Once they were several miles away from the house, Doc pulled his phone out and quickly wrote a text, sending it to as many people as he could as his brothers did the same. _This is not good_ , he thought to herself. How could they have all been fooled so badly, even though there had obviously been another curse? Well, no matter. They would just have to deal with her just like they had dealt with the formerly Evil Queen. However, he had a feeling that would be easier said than done. He looked at his brother dwarves and saw the same unease on their faces, telling him that they had all come to the same conclusion. _This isn't good_ , he thought to himself. Around Storybrooke, various people's phones went off and they checked their messages, some widening their eyes when they read the text they received. Zelena. The witch was Zelena. At the name, Regina frowned. That name. It was niggling at her. But why? She had never heard it before, and yet…it seemed familiar. _Somehow I know it's important_ , she thought to herself. But why? She had never met a woman named Zelena, she was sure of it. And yet… _This doesn't make sense. Why does that name seem so familiar?_ she wondered. Oh well. She could figure it out later. Snow stared at the message on her phone, eyes narrowed in anger. Zelena? Grumpy was claiming that the witch was Zelena? _What nerve. Stupid dwarf_ , she fumed. Of **course** Zelena wasn't the Wicked Witch! The woman had been nothing but helpful since she had arrived in Storybrooke. Leroy was really stretching it with this one. _I really need to find smarter allies_ , she thought to herself. Just **why** had she relied on the dwarves and that stupid wolf girl so much? That didn't make any sense. Well, at least she was rectifying that now by turning to Zelena. Beside her, Charming scowled. What were those stupid dwarves getting at? Zelena, the Wicked Witch? How stupid could they actually be?

"Can you believe him?" Snow fumed. "Accusing pure Zelena like that?" she continued. _Guess it's a good thing I've been distancing myself from them_ , she mused. She had never realized just how narrow-minded and stupid they were. Well, it wasn't like they **had** to remain friends. No, this just proved that she and Charming would have to cut them out of their lives just like they had done to the stupid wolf girl.

"I know. It's stupid," he agreed. _So glad we stopped hanging around them_ , he thought to himself. They had never really liked him anyways, thinking they were better when they weren't. Okay, so he was a shepherd. He was still better than them all. And this just proved it. He would never go around making senseless accusations against a woman who had done nothing but help them throughout the entire pregnancy. Emma, Hook, and Tinkerbell looked at their phones.

"Zelena?" they chorused.

"The midwife?" the pirate added.

"Well, it would make sense. As a midwife she has twenty-four hour access to Snow. We just need to figure out **why** she wants that access," the fairy pointed out.

"Right," the other two agreed. Henry looked at the phone. _Zelena? Who's that?_ he wondered. He had never heard of her. Could she be from some other storybook? In the library, Belle looked at the name on her phone, biting her lip. _Zelena, Zelena. That sounds familiar_ , she mused. Hadn't Rumple mentioned that name once? Or had it been in one of his books? Frowning in concentration, she went to Rumplestiltskin's books and pulled one off of the shelf and began flipping through it. When she didn't find what she was looking for, she put it back and picked up another book. Back at the diner, Robin looked at Regina.

"Darling, are you all right?" he queried.

"That name-it sounds so familiar, but I can't figure out why," she responded. "I'm sorry, guys. I'm going to have to cut this short. Something tells me things are about to get **very** tricky around here," she continued.

"Of course. Go," Robin encouraged. _As the mayor of this town, it's her job to take care of any threats and we finally have a name_ , he thought to himself. They just had to figure out what the witch had done to them and why. What was she after? While this was going on, Tom was walking around town, glancing at various people as they reacted to something on their phone. _Something's going on_ , he realized. But what? Well, only one way to find out. With that, he walked up to a girl.

"Hey, uh, Ruby, right?" he asked.

"Yup," she confirmed.

"What's going on? Everyone looks completely gob-smacked," he stated.

"The dwarves found out the identity of the witch," she answered.

"Really? Who is it?" he asked. _I should've stuck around long enough to find that out_ , he berated himself. But if he had, he probably would've ended up captured and he wouldn't have been of any use to Neal or his father. But still…he should've tried to figure it out.

"Snow and Charming's midwife, Zelena," Ruby responded, the name ending in a snarl. _Should've known that she was a witch!_ she fumed. Not only had their attitudes started once she was in their employment, but she had smelled off. Why hadn't she trusted her instincts?

"Zelena?" Tom gaped. _The Wicked Witch of the West? Oh this is not good_ , he thought to himself. And yes, he had heard of her. But what could she be up to? No matter, he had to gather the townspeople and come up with a battle plan. But first, he had to find Emma. With that, he headed out in search of her, Ruby and the dwarves at his heels, finding her in the town square.

"Emma!" he called. Hearing the voice, Emma stopped. _It…can't be_ , she thought to herself. She hadn't seen him in years, but she'd recognize the voice anywhere. She, Hook and Tinkerbell turned as the man approached them.

"Who are you, mate? And how do you know Emma?" Hook queried.

"Tom?" Emma gasped. _It can't be. He looks…_ _ **younger**_ _…than when I last saw him_ , she thought. How would that even be possible? He had been older than her. **Significantly** older. And now he had aged down? That didn't make sense. _What? How does she know this man?_ Hook wondered. As far as he knew, the Savior had never seen the man before and yet she was acting as if they had met at some point.

"This isn't possible. You're not him. You must be his son or-" she began to say.

"One and done," he interrupted. At this, she froze again. _One and done?_ she thought. Tom had taught her that. It was his way of telling her that he'd never hurt her and would protect her. It was theirs. Hers and his. But then again, if he had had a son, he'd most likely teach him the same thing. "One and done, Emma," he repeated, stepping closer. _How can I convince her that it's me?_ he wondered. When he had met her, she had been overly suspicious of everyone and everything, and from her reaction, that hadn't changed since the last time they had seen each other.

"Your magic is strange," Tinkerbell stated.

"The man has magic?" Hook queried.

"You can feel magic?" Emma asked at the same time.

"It's a fairy thing," Tinkerbell responded.

"What do you mean it feels strange, Love?" Hook wondered.

"It's not fairy magic or like Regina or Rumplestiltskin's magic," Tinkerbell replied.

"That's because they're sorcerers, I'm a wizard," Tom told them.

"Ahh," Hook and Tinkerbell chorused.

"There's a difference?" Emma queried.

"Yes," they all stated.

"Sorcerer magic can be used for light or dark purposes and other than some boundary rules, such as not being able to time travel, raise someone from the dead, or make someone fall in love with you, there aren't really a lot of rules. Wizards on the other hand….well..it's more strict. You have to pick a specialty, for lack of a better term. Of course, there are some that don't really adhere to that and are looked upon as rogues," Tom explained.

"And what's your specialty?" Killian wondered.

"I'm a rogue," Tom replied.

"Why am I not surprised?" Emma queried, rolling her eyes. Even though he had been an adult when she had met him, Tom had always had a mischievous streak. For an answer, Tom just smirked.

"How can I be sure you're really who you claim to be?" Emma demanded. _Okay, that's a fair question_ , Tom thought to himself. She and Neal were different people and she'd require more proof than Neal had.

"Because you know me," the man replied. "Because I know that when it storms you probably still sleep with the light on because you want to make sure no one can sneak up on you from the shadows," he continued. At this, Emma froze. _No one else knows that. Not even Neal_ , she thought. Oh he knew that she slept with the light on during storms and that she sometimes had nightmares but she hadn't ever told him **why** -that a foster dad had used the darkness from a storm to sneak into her bed and do things to her. No, she had only admitted **that** to one man. The man in front of her.

"Tom," she said. _Wow. I can't believe it_ , she thought to herself. How was it possible? It didn't make sense. And she didn't like it when things didn't make sense.

"Hey, Em," he greeted.

"So….how….?" she wondered.

"Wizard," he replied and then gave her the same explanation he had given the others. _Wizards…sure…why not?_ she thought to herself. There were witches, kings, queens, dwarves. Why not wizards? Honestly, she wasn't even sure why she was surprised at this. But she was…at least a little.

"So what is it that you want?"

"To save Neal and his father."

"You know who the witch is?"

"Zelena. She's also holding Neal and his father hostage."

"The midwife?"

"Yes." At this, Emma nodded, her eyes darkening. Her mother and father were in danger and she wasn't going to stand for it. No, she'd get that woman away from them.

"So what do we need to do?" the Savior questioned. _Hang on Neal. We're coming_ , she thought to herself. She couldn't let anything happen to him. Well, anything **more**. Because she had no doubt that Zelena had been hurting him. And she wasn't about to let her get away with it. Tom glanced at Emma, his eyes clouding in concern. _She's worried and pissed, never a good combination_ , he thought to himself. She was unpredictable at the best of times, but with something like this….yeah…powder keg. But then again, he supposed that he couldn't really blame her. Neal was missing and someone was hurting him.

"We need to have someone distract Zelena long enough so that we can get Neal and his father out of there," Tom replied. "And we're going to need all the help we can get," he added and Emma nodded.

"I can do it. I mean, if she's like the other villains we've faced, she'll probably want a shot at the Savior," she responded as she texted the others to tell them what the plan was. Immediately, everyone headed out. _Can't wait for the spell Snow and Charming are under to wear off. Going to need something more drastic_ , Regina thought to herself as she headed for Gold's shop. Belle would be there and the bookworm was quite knowledgeable about what Rumplestiltskin had in his shop. _And we've at least been civil to each other_ , she thought to herself. But had she even apologized to the librarian or made amends? She couldn't remember. They had been so busy taking care of Pan and fighting the witch-whom she now knew was someone named Zelena-that there hadn't been time before and now…she just didn't know. Hesitantly, Regina walked into the shop.

"Regina. Can I help you with something?" Belle queried.

"Rumple has been known to carry antidotes for potions and spells and I was hoping-" Regina started to say.

"What type of spell?" Belle interrupted.

"A loyalty spell. They tend to wear off after forty-eight hours but I don't think we can afford to wait that long," Regina replied.

"Ah yes. Of course," Belle responded and then opened a drawer. "Right before we went to Neverland, he asked me to organize the potions and he said to put all the antidotes in one drawer," she continued. _Not sure why he was suddenly worried about that. Not like any of us would do anything on purpose. Then again, with Emma getting used to her magic…_ she thought to herself.

"And he picked the top drawer?" the former Evil Queen queried. _Convenient_ , she thought to herself. Had her old mentor been up to something?

"That was me, actually. I figured with Emma getting used to her magic, and it being unpredictable-" Belle responded.

"That it'd be wise to have the solutions to any unforeseen problems right at hand. Good thinking," Regina interrupted.

"Thank you," Belle said. As soon as she found the item she was looking for, she handed it to Regina.

"Why's it in a flask?"

"Probably so no would be the wiser if the antidote was needed." At this, Regina nodded. That was a good point. But seriously…a flask? _Thought Rumple had more class than that_ , she thought to herself. She wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Or in this case…a gift potion. The ex-Evil Queen opened it to see the potion which to her looked like a murkier version of grape juice.

"So how does this work? Get two of em? Charming drinks half and then Snow drinks the other half?"

"I'm not sure, but most likely. Honestly, I would just pretend to do a toast."

"Snow's pregnant. This won't hurt the child, will it?"

"No, hurting children was never Rumple's thing."

"Of course." _Well, except when he was training me to cast the Curse_ , the older woman thought to herself. But that had been a long time ago, and they were different people now. That it would matter while her former teacher was stuck with a psychotic witch. "How much do I owe you?"

"Forget about that. Just get Snow and Charming back to normal." With that, Regina nodded and headed out, going to her stepdaughter's house and knocking on the door. Moments later, the door opened to reveal David.

"Are you drunk?"

"Excuse me?" Why would think…? it hit her. She still had the flask. "Oh, no. It's grape juice. This was-an idea that didn't pan out. I thought I could draw the witch out by pretending to get drunk." At this, David nodded. _Doesn't really sound like her, but I suppose she felt desperate_ , he mused.

"Well, come on in," he invited and she followed him inside the home, going to the living room.

"Regina, hey," Snow greeted, starting to stand up.

"No, no, no, no. Don't get up," her stepmother told her. "You need to rest."

"I've **been** resting."

"Well, rest some more." At this, the younger woman threw her stepmother a dirty look. _Hate that everyone's treating me like I'm made of glass_ , she thought to herself. She wasn't. She was perfectly capable of being a good hostess. Back at Rumplestiltskin's shop, Bell was cleaning. Hearing something knocking in one of the drawers, she frowned. _What on Earth?_ she thought to herself. Yes, some of the things in the shop were enchanted and alive, but they didn't usually actively try to get her attention. Something was going on here. But what? The knocking came again and she went over to the drawer and frowned as something thumped against it. _What in the world?_ she wondered. The thumping came again.

"All right. Hold on," Belle stated and she went to open it. Then, she stared at the item. _A bell?_ she wondered. It didn't make sense. And yet…something was niggling at her. _It's important. This bell is important…why?_ she wondered. It didn't make sense. The bell knocked itself against the drawer and she picked it up. "And what could you possibly want?" she wondered and then she resisted the urge to smack her forehead on something. She was talking to an object. Granted, it was enchanted…but still. For an answer, the bell shifted around so that Belle could see the lettering.

"Ring me," she read out loud. _What on Earth?_ she wondered again. It sounded like something you would find in Wonderland. Back at David and Snow's place, the three had sat down and were drinking from special glasses.

"This is nice. You know?" Snow commented. _After everything that's happened, we haven't had time to just relax_ , she thought to herself.

"Yeah, we should do it more often," Regina agreed, a smile. _Can't believe I have all of this_ , she thought to herself. After Daniel, she had been convinced that she'd never be happy again. And yet she was now married. And Snow was pregnant. Okay, she had to figure out how to get the potion into their drinks.

"Well, I think we need more chips," David announced and got up to do so. "Snow, you want anything?" The woman shook her head. "Oooh! Do we have any more of the mint ice cream?" she queried to face her husband. Seeing her chance, Regina quickly poured the potion into their glasses stirring them and watching in satisfaction as the drinks shone for a moment before returning to their normal color. _I hope this works_ , she thought to herself as he sat back down.

"Everything okay?" David checked.

"It's fine. I think I better slow down though," she responded.

"Lightweight," he teased and she laughed.

"Not usually," she admitted. "But maybe that was because of the Curse," she continued and they nodded. Back at their place of captivity, Neal glanced at his father.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "I know she tends to do a number on you."  
"And she on you," the older man responded. "Bae…what is one and done?" he queried.

"It's a promise of loyalty. He's saying he'll protect me. It's…what got me through a bad time in my life."

"And when you say it to him?"

"I'm telling him I'm loyal."

"Bae…" _Loyal? This man has Baelfire's loyalty?_ he wondered. Something flared up inside him and recognizing it as jealousy, he pushed it down. This wasn't the time, and besides, they could use all the help they could get. After all, it wasn't like they had any room to stand on. While this was going on, Emma walked around town, looking for any sign that Zelena was around. _Where is she? Could I have been wrong?_ she wondered.

"Savior," a clipped voice intoned and the woman turned, her magic at the ready. The redheaded woman laughed derisively. "Do you really think you can fight me?" she mocked. At Rumplestitlskin's shop, Belle frowned in confusion as the bell thumped again. _Why should I ring it?_ she wondered. Well, other than the fact that it was being **completely** insistent. Well then, fine. She grabbed the bell. Regina watched as David and Snow brought their drinks to their lips. As the librarian rang the bell, a loud gong resounded. After finishing their drinks, Snow and David groaned as they felt something coursing through them. And seen by some, but unknown to others, a silver beam enveloped Storybrooke, causing a tremor to go through its residents.


	8. Dangerous Gamble

AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER

Belongs to ABC Studios and whoever else owns the show. I only own the plot.

"What on Earth is going on?" Snow wondered. _What's going on? The last thing I remember….._ she then gasped as everything came flooding back. "Oh no, Red! I was so mean to her! What have I done?" she breathed. _I can't believe I was so mean! Red must hate me_ , she worried. How was she going to repair their friendship?

"It wasn't your fault. You and Charming were under a loyalty spell," her stepmother hastened to assure her. _Not going to let her blame herself for something she had no control over_ , she determined. It wasn't her stepdaughter's fault that someone had screwed with her mind.

"So what's going on?" David queried.

"Your midwife Zelena is the witch that did this to us," Regina responded.

"What?" the two chorused.

"How did we not see it?" Snow wondered. _I can't believe I was so dumb. How could I be so dumb?_ She wondered.

"She placed you under a loyalty spell,' Regina told her. "It makes you blind to a person's true intentions, but it's not a particularly strong spell, having to be reinstated every couple of days."

"So does that mean she's not very powerful?" David queried.

"Either that or impatient," Regina replied. _Or both_ , she thought. But either way, it wasn't good.

"Why would she want us to be loyal to her though?" David wondered.

"The baby. She wants the baby," Snow realized as her eyes widened, placing her hands on her stomach protectively. _No. Not this time. Not losing my child again_ , she determined.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to either one of you," Regina hastened to assure. She'd protect her stepdaughter with everything she had. Ironic, considering that she had once tried to kill the young woman, but that was the past now. Now she was going to protect her no matter what, and she had the magic to back her up. In Rumplestiltskin's shop, Belle gasped as the memories came rushing back. _Belle and the others fought their way to where Zelena was even as the witch recited the incantation for the Dark Curse._ _Gotta make sure she doesn't do anything_ , _the librarian thought to_ _herself, dodging a swipe from a flying monkey, hearing sinister laughter as she did so_. Zelena's eyes widened in horror as she realized what had happened. Her Curse-her lovely Curse had been broken! _No! It's impossible!_ she seethed. There was no way the Curse could've been broken, not even with True Love's Kiss! She had made **sure** of it! _Zelena just laughed as they continued fighting her minions._ _They're too late_ _, she mused as she continued the recitation. Soon she was going to have everything that she ever wanted._ Regina inhaled sharply as the images came back. _As one, Rumplestitlskin and Regina also began to the recite the incantation, deliberately changing a few words here and there._

" _Are you sure this will help us retain our memories?" Regina murmured._

" _Nothing's for certain. Never tweaked a spell of this magnitude," he answered truthfully in a soft_ _tone._

" _Lovely," the woman_ _murmured. Not really what she was hoping her old mentor would_ _say. But then again, at least he hadn't lied to her, so there was_ _that. However, she kept_ _reciting, praying that what they were doing would work._ Rumplestiltskin's lips curved into a smile. It had worked. The spell he and Regina had weaved into the Dark Curse had worked, including the loophole he had come up with.

"Papa, what was that?" Neal wondered. Some sort of magic had happened, but he couldn't be sure what.

"Magic," Rumplestiltskin replied.

"Well that much I figured," Neal stated. "But what exactly happened?" he wondered.

"When Zelena first started her attack, Regina and I teamed up to stop her and when we realized she was planning a curse, we came up with some… **modifications** ….to weaken the curse," Rumplestiltskin responded.

"Modifications? What kind of modifications?" Neal wondered. _Just what did he do?_ he wondered. And was he sure he really wanted to know? After all, with his father, the word "modification" could mean **anything**. And to be honest, that was something that scared the hell out of him. He didn't want to end up in a land where everything was flipped on its head.

"Retention of memory, keep us all in Storybrooke, and some fail safes for the children in case we were all put out of commission," he responded.

"So in a way, it was a protection for everybody," the younger man surmised.

"Precisely," his father confirmed. _Smart lad. Got it in one_ , he thought to himself. Not that he was surprised that Baelfire would understand what he was doing. The lad had always been smart as a whip. He just hoped that he hadn't screwed things up between them by admitting that he had tinkered with the Curse.

"That was smart thinking," Neal told him.

"You…don't mind that I used magic?" Rumplestiltskin asked in surprise.

"Does it make me nervous? Absolutely, and I'll probably never like it as much as some people, but I can also understand how it would be useful for protection," Neal responded. _Well, that's something at least_ , Rumplestiltskin mused. He wasn't completely against it like he had been when he was a boy and he was honest with him about his feelings regarding it, so he would take it. And really, after everything he had done with magic, it wasn't really all that surprising that he still had misgivings about it and his use of it. While this was going on, Snow and David had gone to find Red and had found her in the street with the others.

"Hey Snow," she greeted nervously. _Is she back to normal?_ she wondered hopefully.

"I'm so, **so** sorry," the queen apologized. Immediately, the wolf pulled her friend into a hug.

"Nothing to apologize for. It was all Zelena," she assured. In Rumplestiltskin's shop, Belle grinned. It had worked. _Belle watched as Rumplestiltskin pushed the magic into the bell._

" _Are you sure this will work?" she queried._ _I've never heard of a spell being used this way before. What if it doesn't work?_ _she fretted. Not that she was doubting Rumple. She just didn't like leaving things to chance._

" _Yes. The bell was enchanted long ago to send magic over a long range. And since Zelena will be expecting us to rely on True Love's kiss, she'll never suspect that it holds a memory potion," he responded._ Tom blinked as the tremor flowed through him. _That was weird_ , he thought to himself as his memories sorted themselves into their proper order. Without wasting anytime, he teleported himself to where Emma is.

"Tom, what is it?" she wondered.

"I know where Neal and Rumplestiltskin are," he reported.

"Where?" she demanded. For an answer, he grabbed her and then teleported her to the location.

"Emma! Tom!" Neal gasped. _He came back_ , he thought as the other man and his girlfriend instantly began undoing the ropes.

"You know him!?" Emma asked.

"I met him a long time ago," Neal responded.

"Is there **anyone** in this town who's not originally from the Enchanted Forest?" Emma griped somewhat rhetorically. _Why can't I just meet someone who's exactly who they appear to be for once?_ she wondered to herself. Was it really too much to ask? She didn't think so, but apparently the universe-or whatever-did. She was just **really** tired of meeting people who were actually fairy tales. She just wanted someone to actually be who they said they were. Tom ignored this as he and Emma got Neal and Gold's bonds free.

"She has his dagger," Neal reported.

"Crap. We need to get that," Emma declared.

"But how?" Neal wondered. Zelena had kept it in her possession at all times. It wasn't like she would just let them take it from her. They needed a plan.

"Two of us are ex street kids and I don't know about you, but I was always pretty good at filching things provided I had a distraction," Emma responded and Neal grinned knowingly.

"And I'm a pretty handy pickpocket," he stated.

"I can provide the distraction," Tom offered and the other two nodded.

"But what if she summons him before we can find her?" Emma pointed out.

"I can teleport you with me. I have to obey the dagger's call but it doesn't prevent me from bringing others with me," Rumplestiltskin assured her. While this was going on, Zelena was going around Storybrooke. _I'm losing control. I don't like this_ , she thought to herself. Her spell had been broken and she had no idea how it had happened. Well, it was no matter. She'd show them that she still had control. And the only way to do that was to use the Dark One. Yes. That would do quite nicely. She had control of the most powerful being in the Enchanted Forest and no one would be able to stop her. But first, she'd better check on her prisoners to make sure that they weren't trying to plot another escape attempt. With a wave of her hand, she teleported herself to where she was holding the Dark One. Hearing the crackle of magic, Neal, Rumplestiltskin, Tom, and Emma turned and watched as Zelena suddenly materialized and before anyone could move, she threw them across the room with a wave of her hand, causing the group to grunt in pain.

"I had a feeling something like this would be going on," she declared, using her magic to summon the dagger to her. At this, Neal froze. _Can't let this happen to him again_ , he thought to himself. Yeah, okay, they wanted her to produce the dagger so that they could take it from her, but there was still a big risk here. He then glanced at his father who had also frozen. However, he could also see the hint of defiance in his eyes. _He's still fighting. Good_ , he thought to himself. Not that he doubted that he **would** , but it was nice to know that his father still had some fight left. He just hoped that it would be enough to stop her.

"Dark One, I command-" Zelena's order was cut off as Emma slugged her and then threw a burst of magic at her, knocking her off of her feet and causing her to lose her grip on the dagger. Seeing his chance, Neal grabbed the dagger and jumped back.

"Dark One, get us out of here!" Neal shouted and with a wave of his hand, Rumplestiltskin teleported them out of the room and into his shop.

"What happened to being sneaky?" Tom wondered once they landed. _Didn't expect her to off like that_ , he mused. Not that he hadn't seen her act impulsively before, but it **had** surprised him this time.

"So I got pissed off," Emma replied, texting her mother their location as Neal handed the dagger to his father and Belle quickly ran to Rumplestiltskin, pulling him into a hug. "She hurt Neal and Gold. No one hurts the people I love," she continued.

"So when you saw her-" Rumplestiltskin began to say.

"I saw red," Emma admitted. And how could she not? The bitch had hurt the man she loved. Wait. Loved? Yeah. She loved Neal. She was **in love** with him. She could freely admit this.

"Rumple, do you need anything? Hospital?" Belle queried. _So worried. He looks bad_ , she thought to herself. And she had never liked seeing him this way.

"No I'm all right," Rumplestiltskin assured her. _Hate that I worried her_ , he mused. Belle was the strongest woman he knew, but she also tended to worry about him.

"Besides, it's too open. She could easily get to them," Emma added. _And Neal's probably not ready to let everyone know what happened to him_ , she silently added. Hearing this, Neal gave her a grateful look. _Don't want everyone knowing what happened to me. Too humiliating_ , he thought.

"Agreed but you should still be checked out at some point," Tom stated.

"Don't think I've forgotten the weirdness of you, Tom. You have some explaining to do," Emma told him. "You look younger than when I knew you and that shouldn't be possible," she continued.

"And one and done," Rumplestiltskin interjected.

"That's already been explained," Neal objected.

"I want the **full** explanation," Rumplestiltskin insisted.

"It's a pledge of loyalty for us. When I say it, I'm telling them that I'll be faithful and protect them," Tom responded.

"And when the two of you say it?" Belle wondered.

"We're telling him we're loyal," Neal replied.

"When did the two of you meet him?" Rumplestiltskin asked.

"It was right after I escaped Neverland," Neal admitted.

"I was fourteen," Emma answered at the same time.

"Wait, how is that possible?" Belle queried.

"I'm a wizard and I can teleport. My magic allows me to cross realms pretty easily. I also use my magic to be as non-threatening to someone as possible, but my price is that I'm immortal and I live outside space and time. Note for future reference, get all the facts before dipping into magic to save your fiancée," he stated.

"Who was your fiancée?" Belle asked.

"Becky Thatcher," Tom replied.

"Wait. Becky Thatcher? You're telling me that you're Tom Sawyer?" Emma demanded.

"As in the guy who conned his friends into white-washing a fence for him?" Emma continued.

"That wasn't one of my finer moments, I will admit that," Tom confirmed.

"Can I just for once meet someone who is **not** in a storybook?" Emma demanded.

"Sorry," Tom apologized. Then, "We can argue about that later. Right now, I think we need a plan of action on how to defeat Zelena." At this, Emma nodded. He was right of course. They had to figure out how they were going to stop. Back at her farmhouse, Zelena's eyes blazed with fury as she recited the incantation she had studied. She had lost her hostages. The Savior had been faster than she had thought possible and her actions weren't acceptable. She was going to **kill** them all. They had ruined her happy ending so she would ruin them. This spell would target them all and she would be rid of them once and for all. As she did this, the monkeys chattered nervously. Mistress was angry. This would not bode well for them.

"GO! FOLLOW THE SPELL AND DESTROY THEM ALL!" she shrieked as her eyes darkened. Using her magic, she levitated herself, went out of her house, and then flew through the air, a green cloud and her flying monkeys trailing after her.


End file.
